How can you use cloud computing to boost your IT sales?

The path to winning hearts and wallets isn’t just about offering more—it’s about understanding more. Sales professionals aren’t just selling clouds; they’re selling clarity and solutions. Before sales professionals dive into all the cloud’s bells and whistles like scalability, flexibility, cost-efficiency, security, and innovation, they should first understand (not just ask), ‘what keeps their customers awake at night.’ They should not be just selling cloud; they should be solving sleepless nights. Because if they need their IT to bounce back like a trampoline, we’ve got you covered. If they want their daily grind to go on autopilot, we can make it happen. Don’t lose your chance to be your customers’ trusted advisor. Put in the effort.

Cloud computing is especially effective because it makes the customers' learning curve much less steep. While on-premise software requires complex installation and operations processes, cloud computing aims to shorten the lead time to value by providing the capabilities as a service. Also, the cloud computing industry significantly simplifies the technology landscape. While previous vendors were often selling multiple-point products, cloud computing brought a shift towards a platform approach where capabilities are available over a single unified platform.

Conceptually selling cloud solutions is no different from selling other IT solutions with the exception of highly regulated industries and verticals that are slow to adopt cloud solutions. Overcoming legacy thinking by focusing on the cost savings and streamlining of business processes on my end, together with understanding the specific regulation and compliance requirements is key. Cloud as a category is pretty wide, the way digital transformation can dramatically outweigh objections needs to be managed by establishing a consultative partnership with key stake holders both from the business side as well as technology. With this strategy the sales process becomes more efficient with less risk throughout the cycle steps.

Someone could say that it doesn't make any difference because the cloud is just a provisioning mechanism, but having worked both in the on-prem and cloud industries, I can testify that sales of a cloud platform are different. The main differentiation point is represented by time to value. The buyer of a cloud solution usually expects a concise return on investment, and, due to the subscription model instead of the traditional license model, there is a slight possibility that the customer will only accept the subscription with a substantial and compelling ROI. This is a vital element in favor of cloud solutions, but makes also the solution evaluation more critical.

Understanding your customer's needs is key to effectively sell cloud solutions. It's not just about the technology; it's about addressing specific challenges and helping them achieve their goals. Demonstrating the value proposition and ROI is crucial, and using case studies and testimonials adds credibility. Embracing consultative selling techniques ensures a personalized approach, building trust and rapport. It's not just a sale; it's a partnership in achieving success together. ???? #CloudSolutions #ConsultativeSelling #TechSalesSuccess

This question may not be very relevant in the context of this article. Of course, every company "drinks its campaign" or "eats its dog food," right? But who does, and who is only claiming to do it? Cloud providers, being solutions natively born in the cloud, have a more significant opportunity to provide an acceptable user experience and ease of personalization required by such processes.

Following the news or attending the significant providers' conferences (even remotely) is an excellent opportunity to stay up-to-date and get more familiar with the space. Also, listening, earning calls, or just reading the transcript provides insight rarely available elsewhere. As time is a very critical resource for all of us, it's also advisable to use AI to summarize this content and get a bulleted TL; DR.

I also strongly recommend learning about cloud operations, disaster recovery, legal conditions, data privacy and security, and data centers' sustainability impact. Those elements are often a critical component of cloud sales, which is often. as necessary –if not even more important– than technical capabilities.

Elevating your IT sales game involves not just selling but showcasing your expertise in the cloud domain. Investing in certifications like AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or Salesforce validates your skills and boosts credibility. Building a portfolio of cloud projects, from migrations to integrations, is a tangible way to demonstrate your hands-on experience and achievements. Stay ahead in the ever-evolving tech landscape, and let your skills speak for themselves! ???? #CloudSkills #ITSales #TechExpertise

One more aspect that could be helpful, it saves the upfront cost in hardware and the cost to manage the same.It will help to the organisation with multiple offices/branches with geographical diversity,with multiple remote staffs who collaborate frequently for data sharing.More over if you are considering the space requirement to deploy the necessary hardware ,then the cloud solutions will be more economical.In terms of the software up gradation cost and the manpower requirement to manage the software,the SaaS solutions could be more flexible & time saving.